High Point Community Foundation

High Point Community Foundation

The High Point Community Foundation was established in 1998 by Paul Lessard, who continues as President and CEO, to aggregate and deploy philanthropic capital for the greater High Point, North Carolina area. Its corpus derives from a broad base of local donors and families rather than a single industrial fortune, producing a diversified asset pool that functions as a permanent endowment for the community. The foundation's investment posture is conservative and fiduciary-driven. Assets are held in a pooled investment fund with oversight from an investment committee chaired by Leah Price. Grantmaking centers on education, health, and economic mobility, with signature initiatives including the Students First literacy program and the Women's Fund of High Point. Direct program-related investments extend into affordable housing, notably through a partnership with the Earl & Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation and the City of High Point on a Housing Impact Fund, to which the Congdon foundation committed $2 million. The foundation reports an estimated $93 million in assets (Altss estimate) and operates from an office at Congdon Yards, a mixed-use revitalization project in High Point. The board, chaired by Barry Safrit of Marsh Cabinets, reflects deep local business ties. Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, appears as a major donor and community partner, underscoring the foundation's role as a convening platform for the city's civic and corporate leadership. Structurally, the High Point Community Foundation differs from a single-family office in that it is a public charity serving multiple donor interests under a single fiduciary umbrella. Its permanence is tied to the geography it serves; High Point is the sole beneficiary. This single-city mandate, combined with membership in the Council on Foundations and the ClearView Fiduciary Alliance, creates a governance framework in which investment decisions are driven by the perpetual needs of the High Point community rather than the preferences of any single family.